The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and its bus operator subsidiary, Autopax, on Monday received half of the 460 buses it ordered from Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) for use during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The buses would be used exclusively by World Cup ticketing and accommodation specialist Match and the Local Organising Committee for the duration of the global sports event.

The buses, including 44 from another manufacturer, were financed through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in a six-year deal worth R1,2-billion.

The bus chassis were assembled at MBSA’s East London bus plant, with most of the bus bodies built locally by Marcopolo.

Of the 460 buses, 292 are semi-luxury coaches, and 168 luxury coaches, said MBSA bus and coach divisional manager Jan Aichinger.

“We are pleased that local content in the semi-luxury coaches is 47%. This is derived from labour and materials, including glass, tyres, rims and welded steel structures. The engine blocks are supplied by Atlantis Foundries, a 100% Mercedes-Benz subsidiary in Atlantis, in the Western Cape,” he added.

In the case of the luxury buses the local content is 24%, as the bus body is imported but the chassis still assembled locally.

MBSA president and CEO Dr Hansgeorg Niefer said the East London plant had to produce a record-breaking 130 buses a month to ensure it would meet the deadline for delivery of all the buses by May.

He said the plant was on schedule to achieve this.

Prasa acting CEO Sindi Mabaso Koyana said that the 570 World Cup buses – with 110 to come from another local bus builder MAN – would find use in various applications following the World Cup.

The first would be for Prasa to use the buses to ensure a point-to-point journey, such as on the business express where passengers are dropped off and collected by bus at the various stations for the train journey between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Prasa would also use the buses to expand its cross-border business.

Autopax CEO Saki Zamxaka noted that the company was currently operating a service to Mozambique, but that the Zimbabwe and Zambia routes were scheduled to make a comeback by the end of the year.

These services were halted owing to a shortage of buses, as well as rampant inflation before Zimbabwe reverted to using the US dollar, which made fixing ticket prices nearly impossible.

Koyana said a third use for the buses would be for a number of them to remain with the metropolitan councils where they would be deployed for the World Cup.